Kind of, yeah. It kind of is. It’s funny, I write all the time. It’s just something I do. It’s for me. So I’ve kind of been compiling this stuff from when I was in London. I was exiled in London for seven months by myself, drinking a bottle of wine a night, and I ended up with pages and pages of material. I kind of started putting it all together and putting a thin narrative thread in it. It’s like essays and things like that.
I got to the point where I was like, “Maybe I’ll shop it around a bit.” I kind of shopped it around a bit and I got some offers on it. Then the next thing… I have one meeting with these people at Miramax and kind of semi-started negotiations. I said to them, “Listen. This is really sacred to me. This is mine.” In this business there’s this concept of one hand feeds the other, you know? Your film career feeds your TV career, which feeds your theater, which feeds... Look at Jennifer Lopez how her music career feeds her movie career and then the perfume line and everything. Everything is one big cog in a machine. And I just didn’t want my writing to be something like that. Like I said, it was something that was more sacred to me. I didn’t want it to be a cog in the machine. I didn’t want it to be just another thing that I do. It’s something that I do and it’s special to me. I had a meeting with them and I said to them, “Listen. I’m thinking of publishing under a penname.” It’s like that. I’m just like, “I’m not sure if I’m going to publicize it. Just because I can maybe go on Oprah and try to sell it, doesn’t mean I am.” The thing that got me about that is that I don’t have a contract with them.
But they’ve publicized a description of the book.
They have it on the catalog and everything. Too bad for them because I don’t have a deal with them. I don’t know where they kind of get off doing something like that. The one meeting I had with them was to tell them I didn’t want that. So it’s kind of funny. Actually, as of a week ago, I’m still contemplating not even coming out with it at all. The last thing I need is like a movie and this coming out at the same time. I’d much rather have it published for a dollar way, way over there and have one person read it and I’d be totally, totally happy with that. It’s not about getting people to read it and getting some pre-printing buzz going. I don’t need that stuff. It’s regrettable that something like that had to happen. I shouldn’t have to answer to it.
Does this change your mind about working with them?
I don’t know. Right now, I’m taking a step back from it. Like I said, I’m contemplating not even coming out with it in the first place. I don’t have a contract with them. I specifically did not sign a contract with them specifically so something like this wouldn’t happen, and then they do it anyway. And it’s regrettable and stuff, but I think it’s them just trying to capitalize on something. At least now they showed their true colors to me before I considered any kind of long term relationship with them.
Is this a memoir?
That’s the thing. Even the article made me realize that they didn’t even get the book. They don’t even understand it. They said stuff like, “It’s about a young man trying to overcome early success.” And I’m like, “No, not really.” The book is kind of loosely based on myself but anything that you write, you bring something of yourself to the table. No, I mean, it doesn’t even refer to that. At one point I refer to my former life as ‘the life and times of monkey monkey boy.’ I used to work in the circus and things like that. There’s a little bit of that, but, honestly, it’s not about that at all. And that was the thing. When I read that little article, that little blip, I was like, “Not only did you guys do that but it doesn’t seem like you understand what I gave you.” I’m so glad that I figured that out now before I signed anything with them. I’d much rather publish it way, way over there and have nobody see it.
You’d really do it under a penname?
Yeah. That was my intention. That was always my intention and then they do something like this and now I have to explain myself. It’s regrettable and everything like that, and I know they’re just trying to sell books and all but still. Like I said, it’s too bad for them that they printed it in the catalog when they don’t own the material. Because it’s mine and there’s a reason I did that. It’s unfortunate it got to that point but they are doing things that they shouldn’t be doing.
Can the relationship be mended?
Gosh, I don’t know. I didn’t even talk to them, nor have they called me either. But that’s a good thing. Believe me, I’ll deal with this my way and I’ll deal with it the way I’m going to deal with it. It’s not even that bad – it’s actually a very complimentary article. It’s actually saying very nice things so it’s harder for me to be upset about it, but at the same time, it’s regrettable.
